family

The Diocese of Alleppey has more than two dozen small Christian communities, and leaders of those communities trained about 70 members of the diocesan synod team.

Here is a collection of notable quotes from Pope Benedict XVI from homilies, documents, messages and speeches from 2005 to 2013, the years he served as pope.

“Instead of population growth and growing birthrates, the fast-approaching new demographic challenge is societal aging.”

The visit was timed to coincide with the 90th birthday of Carla Rabezzana, the pope’s second cousin. And, after landing in Portacomaro near Asti Nov. 19 and stopping for a prayer in a village church, Pope Francis headed straight to Rabezzana’s house for lunch.

“If someone found your planner on the bus or a stranger glanced at your calendar on the wall or a hacker gained access to your phone’s events, would they see any sign you were a Catholic?”

In February 2020, seven children walking to the store to get ice cream in Sydney, Australia, were struck by a driver who was drunk and on drugs. Four of them died. The parents of three of the victims has since focused on the power of forgiveness.

In the spotlight: gun safety rally, horse-riding procession, handicapped-accessibility in the Holy Land

The pope made his remarks in an address to members of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe during an audience held in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall June 10.